TMCnet News
Sierra Wireless, Inc.: Voq Professional Phone'TM' Available Today Across Europe VANCOUVER, British Columbia & LONDON --(Business Wire)-- Sept. 21, 2004 --Key distribution partners deliver the Voq phone to mobile professionals in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Nordics, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ:SWIR) (TSX:SW) today announced that the Voq Professional Phone(TM), a Microsoft Windows Mobile-based Smartphone developed by Sierra Wireless, is now commercially available across Europe through key distribution partners. The phone is now available to purchase from A & C Systems in Belgium, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands; from BagLAN in Turkey; from Cedros in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland; from Daimler in the Nordics; from Dangaard Telecom in Western Europe; from Hugh Symons Mobile Computing and from Yes Telecom in the United Kingdom; from Speeka in Italy; and from Xacom Comunicaciones in France and Spain. "Today's announcement marks a milestone in the launch of the Voq Professional Phone - widespread availability throughout Europe," said Derek Evans, Vice President and Managing Director, EMEA for Sierra Wireless. "We are pleased to build upon our relationships with these partners and to deliver the phone to mobile professionals in Europe, who are looking for a simple solution to help them stay connected with clients and keep current corporate and personal information close at hand while out of the office." The Voq Professional Phone is a new class of mobile phone that offers the best features of a mobile phone, a personal messaging device, and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). The product offers a flip-open QWERTY thumbpad and easy-to-use software solutions, including VoqMail(TM), a secure, "Always There"(TM) e-mail solution that requires no additional enterprise server or desktop redirector software to purchase, install, and maintain. The unique, easy and powerful myVoq(TM) software enables predictive search, storage, and sending of information. "Sierra Wireless is an established leader in providing mobile professionals with tools to help them improve their productivity," said Bruno Lisen, Chief Executive Officer of A & C Systems. "The Voq Professional Phone demonstrates the evolution of that expertise, and we are pleased to offer it to our customers today." "The combination of mobile phone, messaging device, and PDA functions available in the Voq Professional Phone make it an excellent value," said Necdet Kabil, Managing Director of BagLAN. "It allows our mobile customers to meet all their connectivity needs with one tool that is simple to carry and use." "We have seen growing demand for Smartphones in Germany, and we are pleased to build upon our relationship with Sierra Wireless to deliver the Voq Professional Phone to the German market," said Markus Michels, Managing Director for Cedros. "With the phone's unique features and the strength of the Sierra Wireless name, we are confident that mobile professionals will consider it their first choice." "The Voq Professional Phone is an innovative solution for mobile professionals looking for a single tool to meet their need for reliable voice and data connectivity," said Ib Bronnum, Chairman of Daimler Mobile Partner. "We are pleased to work with Sierra Wireless to deliver the phone to our customers today." "Timely access to email and critical corporate information can make a significant difference in both the business and personal lives of mobile professionals," said Alfred Blank, Managing Director of Dangaard Telecom, "The Voq Professional Phone allows them to access up to date company information and stay in touch with both colleagues and family from anywhere." "There has been tremendous interest in the Voq Professional Phone since it was first announced," said Andrew Baxendine, Commercial Director for Hugh Symons Mobile Computing. "The reputation Sierra Wireless has developed for producing high-performing, reliable wireless network products, and backing them up with industry leading technical support, makes the Voq Professional Phone an attractive choice for our customers." "Our customers are looking for simple, efficient ways to improve their productivity in today's competitive business environment, and the Voq Professional Phone is well-positioned to fill this need," said Ppaolo Poli, Chief Executive Officer of Speeka. "Its unique features make it easy to set up and efficient to use, and we expect it to fill an important niche for mobile professionals in the Italian market." "We are pleased to expand our Sierra Wireless product line to offer the Voq Professional Phone to the French and Spanish market," said Luis Santos, Managing Director for Xacom Comunicaciones. "Our business customers have come to trust Sierra Wireless to deliver high-quality, reliable data connectivity through their AirCard wireless PC cards, and the Voq phone combines that data expertise with superior voice functionality in a package we think customers will find appealing." "With the flip-open QWERTY thumbpad and unique software solutions like VoqMail and myVoq, the Voq Professional Phone offers a compelling solution for our business customers," said Keith Curran, Managing Director for Yes Telecom. "It offers mobile professionals a simple, efficient, and intuitive way to allow them to complete tasks on the move, all while staying connected to their head office." Powered by an Intel(R) Xscale(R) processor, the Voq Professional Phone is based on Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 software and offers a rich telephony experience with the addition of a unique flip-open QWERTY thumbpad. The Voq Professional Phone provides: - Phone-first capabilities with the power of a PDA and ability to synchronize contacts, calendars, and tasks to a Windows-based computer; - The best features of mobile phone, messaging device, and PDA in a single phone - resulting in lower cost, ease-of-use, and need for fewer devices; - Out-of-the-box personal and corporate e-mail solutions, including POP3, IMAP4, and Microsoft ActiveSync for wireless synchronization to Microsoft Exchange 2003; - Powerful search, send and storage capabilities with myVoq, which also offers the ability to enhance business applications and mobile web services; - The ultimate e-mail experience with VoqMail Professional Edition, which offers secure, "Always There" e-mail and alerts, supporting standard, broadly deployed VPN and business e-mail systems including Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes, and Novell GroupWise software. Sierra Wireless will demonstrate complete wireless solutions at Wireless Enterprise World in London from September 21 to 22. For a demonstration of the Voq Professional Phone please visit the Sierra Wireless booth - #D19. For more information about the Voq Professional Phone, please visit www.voq.com, or contact the Sierra Wireless Sales Desk by calling +1 604-232-1488 or e-mailing [email protected]. Note to editors: To view and download images of the Voq Professional Phone, please visit www.voq.com/pressroom. About A & C Systems A&C Systems is a Belgian based value-added supplier, focusing on distributing qualitative mobile accessories including cell phone accessories, Mobile GPS solutions, PDA based GPS-solutions, GyroGPS, and fleet management solutions. For more information on A & C Systems visit their website at http://www.ac-systems.com/Index.swf. About BagLAN BagLAN founded in 1988, is a leading value added distributor for wireless and GSM/GPRS products in Turkey. For more information on BagLAN please visit their website at www.baglan.com.tr. About Cedros Cedros is a specialist for communication, web and groupware solutions. Founded in 1991, Cedros develops and owns a communication software called WebRoute/Mobile to support the mobile worker, small office and home office installations. As a system partner of T-Mobile and Vodafone, Cedros offers state of the art solutions for mobile communication including SMS, WAP, GPRS or HSCD. For more information on Cedros, visit their website at www.cedros.com. About Daimler Mobile Partner Daimler Mobile Partner is a specialized distributor of mobility products such as Bluetooth, GPRS data cards, GPS antennas and flash storage, all for notebooks and PDAs. For more information on Daimler, visit their web site at www.mobile.daimler.dk. About Dangaard Telecom Dangaard Telecom is a market-oriented company that develops and delivers distribution, logistics and after-sales services together with business concepts that respond to market demands. The market consists of a number of players in 15 European countries where Dangaard Telecom is currently represented by subsidiary companies. For more information on Dangaard, visit their website at www.dangaard.com. About Hugh Symons Mobile Computing Hugh Symons Mobile Computing is a single source distributor of AV, cellular, IT and mobile computing products to the independent channel. The business provides a wide range of products, solutions, engineering and professional services spanning the mobile and IT independent reseller channel. Its products range from desktops to notebooks, AV products to PDAs and Bluetooth to WiFi. Hugh Symons Mobile Computing also delivers device pre-configuration, pre and post sales support, on-site installation, repair and engineering, and warranty and swap-out services. Hugh Symons Mobile Computing was founded on 1st August 2003 after the successful merge of two of our well-established business units, in response to growing demand for convergent solutions. About Speeka Speeka distributes GSM-GPRS products in Italy and is a satellite telecommunication provider supplying the Italian Armed Forces, as well as other government organizations. Speeka is the official supplier of aeronautical hardware and services to the Italian Government Air Force and in 2003, launched the latest Inmarsat satellite phone, R-BGAN and installed the first Swift 64 aeronautical high-speed satellite phone, in cooperation with Airbus Industries, on a Airbus 319CJ. For more information on Speeka, visit their website at www.speeka.com. About Xacom Comunicaciones Xacom Comunicaciones is a leading company in the field of communications since its initial vocation as telecommunications developer, manufacturer, and component, equipment and terminals distributor. Xacom accepted the challenge of the new telecommunications technology by creating an R & D centre that is promoting the launching and practical use of that technology: - GSM for Data, SMS Messages, Fax and Voice transmissions. - GPRS high-speed data, voice. - Bluetooth data and voice at personal environment. - DECT data and voice. For more information on Xacom Comunicaciones visit their web site at www.xacom.com. About Yes Telecom As the UK's only independent operator, Yes Telecom is the market leader for connecting and supporting the professional business user. Our hands on approach has continued to prove successful as we provide tailored solutions that truly meet customers' individual requirements and not those of a mass market. By rewarding true customer value and offering exceptional and unrivalled services, Yes Telecom is the UK's chosen mobile provider within the UK business sector. This was reflected in 2004 following industry awards for UK's Best Service Provider and UK's Best Customer Service. For further information please visit www.yes-telecom.com. About Voq Professional Phone The Voq Professional Phone(TM) is a new class of mobile phone that offers a flip-open QWERTY thumbpad and easy-to-use software solutions for business users, including applications for personal and corporate e-mail. Based on the Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 software for Smartphones, the Voq Professional Phone incorporates the best features of your current mobile phone, a messaging device, and PDA. For more information about Voq Professional Phone, please visit www.voq.com. About Sierra Wireless Sierra Wireless is a leader in delivering highly differentiated wireless solutions that enable our customers to improve their productivity and lifestyle. Sierra Wireless develops and markets the AirCard, the industry-leading wireless PC card line for portable computers; embedded modules for OEM wireless applications; the MP line of rugged vehicle-mounted connectivity solutions; and Voq, a line of mobile phones with easy-to-use, secure software solutions for mobile professionals. For more information about Sierra Wireless please visit www.sierrawireless.com. "AirCard" is a registered trademark of Sierra Wireless. "Voq Professional Phone" is a trademark of Sierra Wireless, Inc. Other product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, plans and timing for the introduction or enhancement of our services and products, statements about future market conditions, supply conditions, channel and end customer demand conditions, revenues, gross margins, operating expenses, profits, and other expectations, intentions, and plans contained in this press release that are not historical fact. Our expectations regarding future revenues and earnings depend in part upon our ability to successfully develop, manufacture, and supply products that we do not produce today and that meet defined specifications. When used in this press release, the words "plan", "expect", "believe", and similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current expectations. They are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in technology and changes in the wireless data communications market. In light of the many risks and uncertainties surrounding the wireless data communications market, you should understand that we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release will be realized. |
